Leaves from the Vine
by wethefree
Summary: Three months after the fall of Fire Lord Orzai, Aang and his entourage are in Ba Sing Se working for a new era of peace and harmony. But what will happen when a big surprise shocks them all and leads them onto another adventure.
1. Leaves from the Vine

_Leaves from the vine_

_Falling so slow_

_Like fragile tiny shells_

_Drifting in the foam_

_Little soldier boy_

_Come marching home_

_Brave soldier boy_

_Comes marching home..._

**Leaves from the vine **

_After a long year of prepare and adventure for young avatar Aang, the war has come to an end. After hundred years the worlds waiting and searching for the avatar, he returned and defeated the Fire Lord Orzai and works for a new era of peace and harmony in the four nations._

_We find Aang and his entourage in the beautiful city of Ba Sing Se in Uncle Irohs tea shop. Aang and new Fire Lord, Zuko have been trying to restore peace throughout the four nations. Yet, it is a hard job for everyone working for peace. The refugees whose homes were destroyed and angry now- out- of a job soldiers rebel about every month, new reports come in every week. Aang and Zuko are here in Ba Sing Se not just for Uncle Irohs famous tea, but also for a very important treaty signing and a surprise that will change the world._

"The earth kingdom wants to make sure their veterans of the war are taken care of or they refuse to sign the treaty..." Zuko said while reading from the ten page long treaty. He looks over to see the avatar staring into space.

"Aang! Are you even listening to me? This is important information I am telling you..." Zuko informs the young avatar.

_Aang is sitting in his mediation, indian- style position on the floor overlooking the city of Ba Sing Se. _

"I know, I know...it's just we have gone over this treaty like...a thousand times already! I know it!" the tension and stress filled Aang fired back.

"..._you can never know enough__...ugh_…_._fine, we can stop. Shall you have some tea? And where is everyone?"

"I think you bored them to death with your treaty talk." Aang replied with a giggle, he could feel Zukos eyes burning holes into the back of his head.

"Tea? Did someone say tea? Do we have a customer, Zuko?" Iroh spat out while hastily awaking from his nap in the back room.

"No, uncle. But can you please make Aang and I some? We are taking a break." Zuko said rolling his eyes.

"Good! Good! A growing man needs his rest and relaxation in life!" Iroh replied with his wise voice

_Aang was tired. He knew it he didn't want to go the treaty meeting, he didn't want to meet all the nobles of the nations, he didn't want to sit and listen to another meeting. All he wanted to do was go ride Appa or waterbend with Katara, maybe fly around Ba Sing Se. But he knew he had to do all of this, so later the world can finally live in peace and so he can live in peace. _

_There was the sound of people talking and laughing coming closer and closer. Aang opened his eyes to see Katara, Sokka, and Suki walking up the stone stairs to the tea shop with baskets of food._

"Katara! Sokka! Suki! Good thing you're back I was beginning to think you never were going to!" Aang waved and floated over to them with his famous ear to ear grin on his face.

"The lines at the markets were _so _long, I don't even think I can feel my feet anymore." Sokka complained

Suki and Katara both looked over at Sokka. "Oh, shut up! You have been complaining the whole trip. Now take the peach you wanted and shut up." They both glared at Sokka.

"Jeez, fine I'm going!" Sokka grabbed a peach and walked up the continuing stairs.

"Do you need any help with that?" Aang asked Katara.

"Nope, I got it." She replied.

"Oh….._okay_." Aang followed the girls up the stairs and into the tea shop were Sokka was overlooking the peace treaty.

"_So_ Suko, what's this part about…something about food for the homeless in the earth kingdom? OR this part where it talks about using the army to help build houses for the refugees? _Ohhh_ … I like this part, do I qualify for this..."

"SOKKA! Will you _please_ stop asking all these questions and talk to someone else? Can't you see I'm busy?" Zuko frustrated, yelled at Sokka.

"Ugh, if no one wants to talk to me…then I'll play with Momo." Sokka went over to where Momo was eating a crab apple in the corner of the tea shop.

"Heeeey, Momo. Whatca got there lil' buddy?" Sokka ask the big- eared lemur.

Momo just stared at Sokka with his big round eyes and then flung over to the door and out over to the crab apple trees outside.

"Hey, wait come back here! I wanna play with youuu!" Sokka yelled while running out the open door.

Aang, Katara, Suki all laughed at their dear friend Sokka. While Zuko simply rolled his eyes and continued on his work.

_After unpacking all the supplies for the tea shop Suki, Aang, and Katara sat down for a cup of jasmine tea together._

"So while we were in the market place, I saw this flyer for a musical tonight at the royal palace theater. I've heard of this group before they been honored as one of the best performing groups….some say the best in the performing world.

"Let me see that, hmm…_The Bond between Us, a love so strong the hundred year war could not stop it._" Katara read the flyer out loud.

"Doesn't sound good? I love a good love story!" Suki gushed

"Yes, aw I good ones make me cry every time.' Katara agreed.

"So, it's settled we are all going to the theater tonight! I'll go buy the tickets!" Suki told the tea shop

_The boys looked at each other with confusion, but before they could say anything to defend their views Katara and Suki were gone off buying the tickets._


	2. The Girl in the Red Dress

**The Girl in the Red Dress**

"_Welcome to the Royal Palace Theater! Please take to your seats! The Show is about to being!" The announcer asked the crowd._

"Sokka, move! We have to get to our seats before the shows starts! Now move." Suki pushed Sokka through the row of seat to where five empty seats where.

"But this is so stupid! No respectful now seventeen year old southern water tribe warrior goes to the theater! AND ESPECIALLY FOR A LOVE STORY!" Sokka pointed and harsh fully whispered at Suki before she pushed him down into his seat next to her.

"True, but a respectful water tribe warrior would go for his girlfriend…." Suki said while batting her eyelashes…"Also, I can still kick your butt if you make a scene." Suki finished with a devilish grin at Sokka.

_Aang and Katara sat on the other side of Suki and Sokka._

"I'm so excited, aren't you Aang?" Katara asked with her big blue eyes.

"Yeah." Aang said while rubbing his neck and he hoped he didn't look too awkward.

"_So_ Katara, I was wondering remember when we first came back here after I defeated Orzai?"

"Yes, we were all at Irohs tea shop…"

"Well, you see, I was thinking about that night a lot recently and I was wondering if we are going to build anything on the kiss we shared. Cause I like you a lot, actually I think I love you…."

"Oh, Aang…..I'm sorry for confusing you, you see before that kiss I knew that I had to decide whether I loved you the way you loved me. That night I realized that I _do _love that way, so I wanted to show you how I felt and hoped you still felt the same way. We both knew how much our love had grown for each other and I was so happy that we were going to be together finally. Yet, later that week you left with Zuko for the Fire Nation and you didn't come back for almost two weeks. You seemed so distance and tired I just felt I should give you some space to relax but now I know that you need me to relax and be calm….thank you for telling me, Aang." Katara whispered before the show started. **Right before the light****s**** went out they kissed again. **

_We start of the play in Ba Sing Se about hundred or so years ago. There is a carriage parked by a beautiful house in the upper ring of the city. We see two lovers embrace each other in the surrounding cherry trees around the house. They appear from the shadows of the trees to see a beautiful, young girl in the flowing red dress and a strong, handsome man in an old Earth Kingdom soldier's uniform. There are tears forming in the young girls eyes, we know that the soldier is leaving for war. They sing a song about laying all their love upon each other, then the young soldier leaves the girl. heartbroken. We follow both the young girl and her lover through four years of war and long distance love. Soon the girl is past the proper age of engagement for a girl, because she still knows that her love is still alive. Her mother and her father make her go to the local matchmaker to be made into a bride. Later that day, she must make a decision whether to stay in Ba Sing Se and get married or to enlist in the Earth Kingdom Army as a man. Intermission follows._

"This play is _way _better than the one about us back on Ember Island." Sokka exclaimed loudly enough for a few crowd members to look over.

"Sokka, clam down everyone is looking!" Katara hushed Sokka.

"Suki, I feel so bad for the young girl her lover could be dead and she may risk everything to go find him." Katara said.

"He will live…they always do." An older man's voice responded to Katara. Everyone look to see who it was.

"Iroh? When did you get here?"Aang asks surprised for Iroh was sitting right next to him.

"Oh, a few minutes later the first act started."

'"Where is Zuko? Please tell he isn't still working on _that _treaty still." Aang ask

"No, no Mai is in town to visit him…a day early. How sweet, he is out with her tonight. He asked me to tell you all to enjoy the play." Iroh informed them all.

"I love the music in the play, such gorgeous singing. Don't you think so?" Iroh asked

"_Sniff yes_, the girl's voice warms my _sniff_ heart and makes me _sniff_ want to cry because can really feel the _sniff _raw emotion…" Sokka answer while wiping his tearful eyes.

"_Sokka….._are you seriously crying right now? What happened to the manliness you had before, huh?" Katara jokingly ask her brother.

"I'm not actually _crying..crying_ I just….um…feel bad for the girl. I mean, how can you not?" quickly defending himself Sokka shot back a lot less sober than before.

"Whatever you say Sokka, oh look the play is starting again everyone quiet." Katara told everyone.

_We resume with the now young lady at the royal palace with the prince, and good friend of hers. She is trying to convince him to get her in the Earth Kingdom army. Next they sing a song about how the prince cannot wait to be king then he could do whatever he wanted. The prince tell the girl that he will put her name in the training camps list for the new recruits, and that she must show up with the paper that confirms that she is enlisted. That night she wrote her parents a letter apologizing for leaving them but she must find her love. The next two days of travel she finally arrived at the Earth Kingdom training camp. After two weeks of training, she was called to fight along the western part of the Earth Kingdom. The girl was afraid, she knew she wasn't strong enough to fight against the Fire Nation, but she needed to keep searching for her love. Three weeks later the girl is at base camp debating whether to run away from the army or to stay and fight for love. That night she had decided to give up hope and go home, when a group of injured warriors from the north- western front came in to get treated. Just before she was going to disappear into the night she looked back one more time to see her love in the informatory. Her first reaction was to run to him, yet she couldn't be caught pretending to me a man in the army. So that night, while the nurses and doctors went home she snuck into the informatory; she inspected her lover's wounds and saw that they were not fatal. Her plan was to take her lover to the nearest town as her normal self and ask to see a doctor. One month after she had taken her love back to the town, he was completely healed and had told her that whole four years he had thought of the girl every single day. He had planned to marry her when he returned to Ba Sing Se. Two months later they both returned to Ba Sing Se with open arms from their parents, three weeks later they were married. The End, the curtains close._

"Wow, that was…_amazing_" Katara was the first one to speak.

"Well, it _was _a bit corny at the end." Sokka replied

"WHAT? You where just crying during the intermission..._ugh_." Katara responded

"Well I thought it was good." Aang spoke up with a grin on his face.

"As did I." Iroh chimed in, patting Aang on the back.

"We better get moving the theater closes in ten minutes, and I'm exhausted." Suki said

_The group made their way back to Iroh's home above his tea shop, yet once outside the theater Iroh said he had forget something in the theater and will meet them back at the tea shop. _

**Iroh's Point of View.**

_As I made my way back to the theater I knew I had to find that actress. I knew I wasn't the only one who saw it, I saw Kataras eyes light up when it happened. I must find her not matter what. _

_I told the attendee that I had forget a very important paper in the theater for the Fire Lord and the he would not be very happy that I could not attain it. The guard let me in the next second; I acted like I was looking for something until no one was around. Then I headed backstage to find her, oh please still be here! Though rows of make up booths and clothes racks I went…damn it no one was here. Then I heard a door open and close from the back of the theater, I rushed over to see who it was. Finally, I found her._

"Excuse me, miss." I asked in my softest voice

"Oh hello. How can I help you, sir?" She replied

"I wanted to congratulate you on a lovely performance tonight." I gushed

"Thank very much, kind sir." She shyly thanked me and blushed.

"_In addition __have something else to ask you….." _I said while putting my arm out to escort her to the royal gardens.


	3. No Longer Alone

_Leaves from the vine_

_Falling so slow_

_Like fragile tiny shells_

_Drifting in the foam_

_Little soldier boy_

_Come marching home_

_Brave soldier boy_

_Comes marching home..._

* * *

**No Longer Alone**

_A new morning sun arose from be hide the vast city walls of Ba Sing Se. Aang arose with the sun, he felt recharged and finally stress- free. He felt so relieved after his talk with Katara last night, things were now looking better. He went to the open kitchen area to grab breakfast when he stumbled upon Iroh sleeping on the cushions by the window. "I wonder what time he got in last night, it must have been late if he was tried enough to pass out on the not necessarily comfortable floor cushions." Aang thought. Whatever it was he couldn't be bothered, he went down to the tea shop and quietly grabbed a fresh mango and slid out the door to the welcoming morning sun. After finishing his mango, Aang sat down upon a smooth stone in the gardens near Iroh shop for a quick mediation time before going to feed Appa. _

_After feeding, grooming, and flying Appa around Ba Sing Se he headed back to the tea shop to meet the others. _

"Morning, everyone!" Aang smiled at the group half awake in the tea shop.

_There was a few mumbles of "morning Aang" from everyone. Iroh was the only one who seemed awake, making pots of tea for today's customers._

"Alright everyone, I am opening the shop today after our little break so either you go upstairs or leave" Iroh told everyone with a jolly grin.

_A long dragged out "okay" was the response by most everyone. The rest of the day the tea shop was busy with customers, Zuko and Aang had the treaty meeting to addend to and Zuki and Katara helped Iroh out severing customers._

"I'm _so _bored; I can even feel my hair growing! Someone _please_ save me." Sokka complained

"Well you could help out with serving the customers, you know. We are a bit sort in orders." Katara told Sokka

"No thanks, I rather feel my hair grow." Sokka replied

"Ugh! _You're impossible._" Katara sighed.

_At about five o'clock Iroh closed the tea shop, Katara and Suki had started to make dumplings for dinner, Sokka had entertained himself by carving a miniature wood boomerang he said was "for momo to play with." Soon Aang, Zuko, and Mai all returned for dinner._

"So how was the meeting? Did it go well?" Katara asked Aang.

"Quite well, all four of the nation's leaders signed the treaty. The Earth Kingdom is now officially part of the peace treaty." Zuko cut in. _He was obviously very proud. _

"That's great! Oh I'm so happy for you two!" Katara said while going in to giving each a hug.

"Yes, now we can finally start heading to the Northern Water Tribe for their part in the treaty." Zuko stated.

"Yes! No more Earth Kingdom, I can go play in the snow, go ice fishing, and sail some boats!" Sokka shouted from where he once was sitting; now jumping up and down.

"Ahaha, yes Sokka we can all go…..um, _ice fishing._" Aang said.

_Aang and Momo went out to the front of the tea shop to pick some crab apples for dinner. When Iroh called him into the shop to meet someone…._

"Aang, would you please come inside I have someone I'd like you to meet." Iroh called to Aang.

"Coming!" he called back floating up the stone stairs in the tea shop.

_A woman in dark cloak with a hood over her head stood besides Iroh._

"Aang, this is Thati. Thati this is Aang." Iroh introduced the two.

_The women gradually pulled the hood over the head her head to reveal a beautiful, young woman with bright blue eyes, and dark flowing waves of hair. Nevertheless, the most shocking thing was the blue arrow tattoo in the middle of her forehead, which led down her arms to her hands and her back and legs to the feet. She was an airbender. _

_Aang and everyone's face were in pure shock no one said a word for minutes they just stared, no motion at all. Finally the woman clenched her fist into her other as she gave Aang a bow of respect. _

"Avatar Aang, it is a great pleasure to meet you." She said while coming up from her bow.

"_You're an airbender, how is this possible?" _Aang responded in shock.

"That is an exceedingly long story." Thati responded.

"Shall we all listen to it over a nice cup of green tea?" Iroh interrupted

"That would be delightful, Iroh." Thati smiled at Iroh.

_The new airbender and the group all sat down at the largest round table while Uncle Iroh passed out cups of tea before taking his seat next to the airbender. Aang and Katara both sat across from the woman, they both seemed to still be in some form of a trance. As she took of her long cloak off to reveal her outfit, one close to Aangs mustard yellow loose pants with a red cotton belt to hold them up, yet she was wearing a yellow bandeau with a orange shawl on her shoulders which was held together with some sort of airbender pendant. As she opened her mouth to tell her story she was interrupted by Sokka._

"Ah, ouch, this tea is way too hot. I think I burnt my tongue." He said after spitting out the tea and rubbing his tongue.

"You will have to excuse him, he's a bit rude" Katara apologized to the airbender while giving Sokka a death glare.

"No problem at all, here let me cool it off for you." She said while hold her arm up and with a flick of wrist she had elevated the water above the cup, then she took her other hand and used it to bend the air to cool the tea.

"Did you just waterbend and airbend? How is that possible?" Katara asked mouth wide open with surprise.

"Iroh, did you tell them anything at all?" Thati asked the old man next to her.

"No, I wanted to hear your exquisite story again." He responded.

"Hmm, then I will start from the beginning then" She replied.

"I was born a hundred and two years ago in the Northern Water Tribe; my mother was a very spiritual and powerful waterbender. She had a very deep bond between the moon and water spirits, she was known for even talking to them in her dreams. Because of the rule of no women can waterbend in the northern water tribe; she left to travel throughout the four nations. When she had come to visit the Eastern Air Temple she was welcomed with open arms, she then caught the eye of an air nomad who lived among the monks. Soon she left with him to go back to the Northern Water Tribe to get married. When I was born the benders of the tribe knew I had the gift of bending, they could sense the power within me. Growing up, waterbending was a bit more difficult for me than the others, but I never gave up and soon I mastered the art when I was ten. Later that year, my family and I moved back to the Eastern Air Temple.

When we moved there the monks told my parents that I was also an airbender. The only way to explain this was that I was gifted by the spirits with the rare power of spirit bending. Like the avatar only one or two people are blessed with this power very hundred years or so. I believe since my mother was so close to the moon and water spirits, they blessed me. So at age fifteen I had mastered airbending, but to fully finish my training I had to achieve spiritual enlightenment. This was only a few months after the fire nation started to attack other air temples and the avatar disappeared. My master felt that the world would call upon me to fight the Fire Lord if the avatar never came back. So, I was told to go to the gardens of the Ku Sind Mountains a few miles away from the temple to achieve spiritual enlightenment. Once I started to mediate I was pulled into the spiritual world where I found my mother, confused I asked her why she was there. She told me that while I was traveling to the gardens the Fire Nation attacked the temple and she and my father were killed in the , I didn't want to leave my mother in the spiritual world to find my people dead. But my mother later told me that the tribe had an powerful earthbender rip the whole temple off the top of the mountain and with the power of the air spirits were floated off into the sky, to never be at risk from the Fire Nation. I stayed with my mother and the spirits that had become my friends and they had taught me many great things.

However, two months ago I was pulled away from the spiritual world and awoke in the same garden a hundred and three years later. I have asked the spirits why I was pulled away from the spiritual world; they told me that my destiny was to save my people. I am to find the Eastern Air Temple and show them that the war is over and peace has been restored." Thati spoke in a soft voice.

"But….I was _just _at the Eastern Air Temple three months ago, and it was empty and the temple was still there." Aang said confused.

"Yes, the monks and nomads took the western side of the mountain temple." Thati said

"There were two temples? I never saw the other one when I would visit a hundred years ago." Aang responded

"Yes, the western temple was mainly for prayer and training. So it is much smaller and hidden." Thati informed Aang.

"_Wow, _I cannot believe this. I am not longer alone!" Aang said with a happy grin on his face while jumping bup from his chair and prancing over the not- so-strange, stranger and have her a big bear hug.

"Thank you for coming to find me, we have _so_ much to talk about!" Aang excitedly told the other airbender.

"Iroh, how did you find Thati anyway?" Zuko asked his uncle.

"Last night at the performance I saw her arrow tattoo peek out of her selves wghile singing. Katara I believe I saw that you too saw it too" Iroh said

"Yes, I did…but I thought I was just seeing things." She said.

"_Wait, _let me get this straight. You're and airbender who also bends water and you are the star of that play last night?" Sukko ask.

"Well, yes…I am." Thati answered.

"How does a powerful spiritbender like you, start acting?" Suki asked.

"Well after finding that the Temple was nowhere to be found I traveled to the Earth Kingdom, where I met the director of the acting group and he cast me as the lead actress. I've been traveling around the Kingdom with them ever since.' Thati responded.

"That was the last performance last night. What are you going to do now?" Zuki asked

"Well, I am welcomed to stay in the royal palace until the group leaves. Then, I guess **I will fulfill my destiny**." Thait guessed.


End file.
